The season is officially over for Portland.
The Portland Trail Blazers officially had their 2025-26 campaign come to an end Tuesday night after a 114-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Although it was a hard-fought series, the Spurs were able to defeat Portland in Game 5 to secure a 4-1 series victory and advance to the next round. And while the Blazers did lose this series, there are plenty of positive things to take away from not only this game, but the series as a whole as the franchise looks to move forward and take another step next season.
In fact, Portland didn’t just steal a game in a series in which it entered as a significant underdog and potential sweep candidate. The Blazers had a realistic chance to go up 3-1.
Portland completely collapsed in Games 3 and 4 after building significant double-digit leads, ultimately losing both contests. But the process was there. The flashes of being able to compete with one of the best teams in the league were certainly there. And with another offseason to continue developing the roster, along with Damian Lillard coming back next season, this team has a bright future.
As for Game 5, what really made the difference was Portland’s offense once again stalling out. Although the Blazers came alive in the fourth quarter and had their best scoring frame of the night in the final period, it simply wasn’t enough. Portland scored just 21 points in the second quarter and 20 in the third, which kept the offense in the mud for too long.
Once San Antonio cracked 100 points and started to extend beyond that mark, the game was effectively over.
The Blazers shot under 40% from the floor overall and struggled badly from the 3-point line, converting on roughly a quarter of their attempts from beyond the arc. Against a team as talented as the Spurs, especially in an elimination game on the road, that margin for error just wasn’t there.
So, yes, it was a 4-1 series loss. But it was much closer than that on the surface. The Blazers gained valuable experience, pushed San Antonio in multiple games and showed they’re not as far away as many might have thought entering the postseason.
Maybe next year, with another season of development and more experience in these moments, Portland will be able to put together complete games and turn those competitive stretches into wins.
While the season is over, there’s a lot to like about what this team did. The Blazers exceeded expectations, ultimately landed the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and gave one of the NBA’s best teams a tougher series than the final result suggests.
Interim coach Tiago Splitter showed a lot this season as well and could end up being the permanent coach moving forward as Portland conducts its search this offseason. With that decision, Lillard’s return and other roster moves still to come, this is only the beginning of what should be a very important summer for the Trail Blazers.